Apparatus for drying powder rods.



No. 777,504. 7 PATENTED DEC. 13, 1904. E. GATHMANN.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING POWDER RODS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19, 1901.

N0 MODEL;

A flow/19's No. 777.504. Patented December 13, 1904.

EMIL GATHMANN, F WVASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE WHITMAN MOMULLEN, OF PlCTON, ()NJTARIO, CANADA.

APPARATUS FOFt DRYING POWDER FROD5.n

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 777,50d, dated December 13, 1904.

Application filed June 19, 1901. Serial No. 65,199. (No model.)

TO wk/0m it y desirable to remove the volatile solvent which Be it known that I, EMU. G'ATIIIMANN, of is used in the compound of the nitrocelluose l/Vashington, District of Columbia, have inartificially or more rapidly than the solvent vented certain new and useful Improvements would be dried out by simple exposure to the 5 in Apparatus for Drying Powder Rods, of atmosphere. The green grains or rods of which the following is a specification. powder are therefore placed in ahermetically- This invention relates to improvements in sealed receptacle or tank and a current of apparatus for drying powder rods, and thereheated air is passed through the same, prefby volatilizing and expelling solvent thereerably an induced current caused by a sue I from; and the invention refers more speciliction-pump. so as to create a partial vacuum ally to an improved drying-chamber adapted in a receptacle, and thus more readily and efto be exhausted artificially and provided infectually withdraw the solvent from the pow- (JO teriorly with skeleton supports whereby the. der rods or grains. The volatilized solvent commodity being acted upon is confined and thus carried off from the powder is passed 5 supported during the drying operation. through a condenser and after suitable treat- The object of the invention is to provide ment is again ready for use in the further a simple, effective, and cheap apparatus of the making of powder. 6 5 character referred to which will serve to rap- The recoveryof the solvent withd rawn from idly dry the powder rods placed therein and the powder during the drying of the latter is 20 at the same time so confine and support the quite essential in the economical manufacture rods as to insure their retention in proper of powder, since without a suitable recovery p apparatus the solvent would be lost by evapo- The invention consists in the matter hcreration or dispersion, whereas with a suitable inafterdescribechand more particularly pointclosed apparatus, such as hereinafter de- 2 5 ed out in the appended claims, and the same scribed, a given quantity of solvent will serve will be readily understood from the following to treat a maximum amount of powder.

description, reference being had to the accom- It is not to be understood from the foregopanylng drawings, Wl16I'01I1-- ing, however, that I claim as broadly new the Figure 1 is a side elevation of the preferred idea of thus drying the powder in a closed 0 embodiment of my invention, parts being chamber and recovering the volatilized solbroken away to expose the internal construcvent, the foregoing description of a process tion. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same being given for the purpose of a more clear with parts broken away to expose the intercomprehension ofthepresent invention,whieh nal arrangement. Fig. is a fragmentary refers solely to an apparatus adapted for car- 3 5 detail, in perspective view, of a modified form rying out such a process.

of support adapted for use in connection with The apparatus hereinafter described is parother features of my invention. Fig. 4: is a ticularly well adapted to the treatment of 001- fragmentary plan view of still another modiloid powder which is shaped or formed in rods lied form of skeleton support. Fig. 5 is a or strips-such, for example, as that shown 40 sectional view of the support shown in Fig. in my Letters Patent No. 660,56T-and it is to 4. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of be noted in this connection that all colloid a series of supports, similar to those shown in powders with which .1 am familiar, and espe- 9 Figs. 4 and 5, with powder-rods arranged cially the pyroxylin varieties, undergo great therein, showing the relative arrangement of shrinkage during their transformation from 45 the several parts; and Figs. 7 and 8 are views the original or green state to a dried condisimilar to Figs. 4 and 5, respectively, of still tion. During this shrinkage of the powder another modification. considerable warpage or distortion in shape In drying smokeless colloid powders it is will occur, this being particularly true if the powder is in the form of rods or strips of any considerable length, unless means be provided for positively preventing such distortion.

Referringnow to the drawings, 1 designates as a whole a closed tank or drying-chamber, which can be made of any suitable material, preferably metal, a desirable form being that shown in the drawings, wherein the tank is shown as an oblong rectangular box having the entire end walls 2 2 made movable. In the preferred embodiment shown the side walls of the tank are of sheet metal reinforced around the end margins thereof by means of ribs 3, which project slightly beyond the ends of the side wall proper of the tank and are made knife-edged, so as to sink slightly into packing-rings i, inserted in the meeting faces of the end covers or walls 2, and thus effect a more certain hermetical joint and at the same time leave an air-space at each end which is not interrupted by the skeleton partitions hereinafter referred to. Suitable pivot-ears 3 are provided upon the reinforcing-rings 3, with which are pivotally engaged threaded clamping-bolts 5, which are adapted to extend between pairs of clamping-ears 2, formed upon the cover members, thumb-nuts 5 being threaded upon the ends of the clamping-bolts to engage the clamping-ears, and thus draw the end covers into compressed engagement with the tank-body proper. Preferably in order to withstand this clamping pressure said end walls are made in the form of castings, and each is provided with a suitable aperture within which are seated pipes 6 and 7, respectively, one of which serves as an inlet and the other as an eduction pipe. The interior of the hermctical chamber thus formed is divided by means of a series of skeleton partitions into a plurality of straight tubular passages (designated 8 inthe respective figures of the drawings) adapted to receive the powder rods placed endwise therein. It will be understood that the shape of these tubular passages in crosssection will be varied to approximately conform to the shape of the particular powder rod to be treated,the passages in the form of skeleton support shown in Figs. 1 and 2 being adapted to contain cylindric rods and being therefore approximately circular.

In the preferred embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the skeleton supports are formed by means of a series of corrugated plates 8, arranged side by side to extend throughout the full length of the tank and in such relation to each other as to provide the intervening circular spaces or passages 8, hereinbefore referred to. In order to provide for a free circulation throughout the entire interior of the chamber, these corrugated plates 8 are perforated or made of foraminated form. The powder rods are placed endwise within these several tubular passages, as indicated at 9, Figs. 1 and 2, and are obviously thereby supported and confined against warping to any considerable extent regardless of what position the tank be placed in. At the same time a free and thorough circulation may take place throughout the entire interior of the tank, so that the powder rods will be dried rapidly and uniforml by the circulation therethrough of a current of warm air.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a modification in which the skeleton supports are formed by means of strips or slats 11 arranged in intersecting relation and notched together, as indicated at 12 and 13, in a familiar manner, so as to form rectangular passages 10. A series of these skeleton supports will be arranged at intervals. apart in parallel relation to each other and with their several passages 10 in alinement throughout the length of the tank for example, in substantially the relation shown in Fig. 6. A tank equipped with skeleton supports of this construction is suitable for drying powder rods approximately rectangularin cross-section, and the intervals between the several supports obviously afford the necessary free circulation throughout the tank.

In Figs. L, 5, and 6 I have shown a modification in which the skeleton supports 14 are made from sheet metal perforated at intervals apart to form the passages 8, the margin of each perforation or passage being surrounded by an annular flange 16, struck up by means of suitable dies. The arrangement of skeleton supports of this construction is substantially that described in connection with Fig. 3 and is clearly shown in Fig. 6,wherein a couple of powder rods 9 are shown as placed in position.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown still another modification, which is substantially the same as that shown in Figs. 4c, 5, and 6, the only difference being that the passages 8, formed through the supports 17, are made of oblong rectangular shape in plan, such a construction being suitable for supporting and confining powder rods made in the form of strips conforming in cross-section approximately to the shape of the passages 8 of this modification.

The use of the apparatus has been indicated in connection with the foregoing description, but may be again briefly referred to. One or both of the end walls of the chamber having been removed, the green powder rods are adjusted into the several tubular passages, the end walls returned to place, and the inlet and eduction pipes respectively connected with a source of warm air and with an exhaust mechanism or pump leading to a condensing apparatus. The pump is then operated and the current of air passed through the chamber until the powder rods have been completely dried, it being noted that it is desirable that the inlet should be so controlled and the pump so operated as to create a partial vacuum within the chamber, thereby greatly facilitating the evaporation of the solvent contained in the powder rods.

By isolating the powder rods or strips in the manner described the warping ordeformingof the rods is prevented, inasmuch as each rod is properly inclosed throughout its length in an envelop, to which it must conform in shape while drying.

The time of drying or removing of the solvent is greatly shortened when the powder elements or rods are thus kept separate from one another and the solvent is more thoroughly removed from the powder. This is due to a more thorough circulation of the heated air-current.

While, as hereinbefore indicated, I have shown what I deem to be a preferred embodiment of my invention, yet it will be obvious that the details thereof may be still further modified without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not, therefore, Wish to be limited to the details of construction shown except to the extent the same are made the subject of specific claims.

I claim as my invention- 1. A powder-drying receptacle comprising a hermetically-sealed chamber and holders or supports arranged therein to divide the interior into long straight passages opening into a common air-space at each end, which passages are adapted to receive powder rods and to confine the same against warping, for the purpose set forth. a

2. A powder-drying receptacle comprising a closed chamber, a series of skeleton supports arranged therein to divide the interior into parallel elongated passages, and eduction and inlet passages arranged to communicate with said chamber at separate points.

A powder-drying receptacle comprising a hermetically-closed chamber, means for confining against warping and supporting a plurality of series of powder elements in position individually separated from each other with in said chamber and inlet and eduction pipes communicating with said chamber at separated points and opening respectively into common air-spaces at the ends of said receptacle, for the purpose set forth.

4:. A powcler-drying receptacle comprising a closed chamber having a removable wallsection forming a hermetically-sealingclosure, a series of skeleton supports arranged within the chamber to divide the interior thereof into long narrow passages accessible for the insertion of powder .rods or the like when the closure is removed, and eduction and inlet pipes communicating with said chamher at opposite ends of said tubular passage.

5. A powder-drying receptacle COlDDllSlDQ, achamber provided with a hermetically-sealing removable closure, a series of corrugated and perforated plates arranged therein to form a series of separate, long and relatively narrow passages and inlet and outlet eduction pipes communicating with said chamber at separate points.

6. A powder-drying receptacle comprising an elongated tank-body of substantially uniform size throughout its length and provided with hermetically sealing removable end walls, clamping devices for holding said end walls removahly in position,inlet and eduetion pipes communicating with the interior of the tank at opposite sides thereof and a series of similarly-c0rrugated plates arranged continu ously and dividing the interior thereof into elongated passages extending longitudinally of the tank, substantially as described.

EMlL GAlHh IANN.

Witnesses:

G. (J. LIN'rincUM, E. H. PARKINs. 

